Railway-gate



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. T. NEAL-BY & M. H. RIDEOUT.

RAILWAY GATE.

No. 427,106. Patented May 6, 1890.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. T. NEALEY & M. H. RIDEOUT 4 RAILWAY GATE.

No. 427,106. I Patented May 6,1890.

Witty- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EVERETT T. NEALEY AND MORTON H. RIDEOUT, OF BANGOR, MAINE.

RAI LWAY-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 427,106, dated May 6, 1890.

Application filed September 26, 1889. Serial No. 325,154. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, EVERETT T. N'EALEY and MORTON H. RIDEOUT, of Bangor, county of Penobscot, and State of Maine, have invented an Improvement in Railway-Gates, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

Our invention relates to an apparatus for operating railwaygates, whereby they are placed under the control of the approaching trains; and the object of the invention is to produce a gate-actuating mechanism of simple construction, which is reliable in operation and can be readily substituted for the hand-op erated appliances commonly used for working railway-gates.

The apparatus comprises'an electromotor, the armature-shaft of which is connected by gearing with suitable shafting that may be connected with the railway-gate in any suitable manner, being, for example, the pivotal or axial shaft of the gate itself, in case a pivoted gate is used, or being connected with a winding-drum in case a rising-and-falling gate operated by cords or chains is used. The said motor and its gearing is combined with a polechanging switch interposed between the motor and the current-supplying circuit, which is operated by the motor at the end of a movement sufiicient to carry the gate from its open to its closed position and the reverse, the polechanger being shifted and placing the motor in condition to move the gate in the opposite direction when the current is next applied to it. The current-supplying circuit is also provided with a circuit-closer controlled by an electro-magnet, the circuit of which is primarily controlled by the passing trains or by another suitable circuit-closer placed at any point from which the gate is to be operated, whereby upon closing the circuit from said point the said magnet is energized and closes the circuit of the motor, which circuit also includes the coils of said controlling-magnet, so that it remains energized and retains the motor-circuit closed after the original closure by which said magnet was energized is ended. The pole changer or reverser for the motor, which operates at the end of the movement of the motor by which the gate is either opened or closed, as the case may be, causes a momentary break in the motor-circuit, which demagnetizes the controlling-magnet before referred to, thus permitting the circuit-closer operated by it to open, so that the motor-circuit will remain open until the circuit of the controlling-magnet is again closed at some external point.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a railwaygate, showing the position of the motor apparatus forming the subject of this invention with relation thereto. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the motor apparatus and appliances immediately co-operating therewith, and Fig. 3 a diagram representing the circuits which may be employed.

The motor apparatus and circuit changing and controlling devices co-operating immediately therewith may be inclosed in a box or case a, and are compact, so that they may be readily applied to the ordinary *ailwaygate 15, as shown in Fig. 1, said gate being shown as pivoted on an axis, (represented in dotted lines at a, Fig. 1.)

The gate-spindle a (see Fig. 2) has connected with it a gear I), connected by a train of gearing (shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2) with the armature-shaft c of an elect-romotor M, which may be of any suitable or usual construction adapted to operate by straight currents, and so that its armature-shaft will rotate in one direction if the current passes through the motor in one direction and will rotate in the opposite direction if the current passes in the opposite direction.

The train of gearing is such as to increase the power and diminish the speed of rotary movement of the gate-shaft a relative to that of the armature-shaft 0, so that comparatively small power is required to rotate the armature-shaft; but owing to its high speed the gate will be moved with sufficient promptness. The gear Z) also meshes with a toothed segment cl, pivoted loosely upon an axis at (P, the said segment being supported at the end of an arm (1", which in its rotary movement engages pins or projections c c on a rocking piece f, (shown mainly in dotted lines,) which is also loose or free to turn upon the spindle (Z and is acted upon by stout springs which tend to throw the said rocking piece f around its axis, for the purpose that will be presently described. The switcharm h is also mounted loosely upon the axis (1 in position to be struck by the pins 6 c and is provided at its ends with insulated contact-pieces 2' 6 which co-operate with con tacts 7c 715 that are connected with the opposite terminals of the external circuit, the contacts 'L' 1' being connected with the terminals of the motor M, so that when the contact c' is engaged with the contact 7c and the contact 1' with one of the contacts and vice versa, the current will pass in opposite directions. With the switch in the position shown in Fig. 2 the current will pass in the direction to cause the armature-shaft to rotate in the direction to turn the gear I) in the direction of the arrow thereon. This will cause the arm d of the shaft-segment (Z to bear against the pin 6 ofv the rocking piece f and turn it about its pivot. In this movement the springs d, which act by compression, will be compressed as the points at which they bear against the piece f approach the bearing-points for the outer ends of said springs, and such compression will continue until all the bearing-points of the springs are in line with one another, when the springs will be in maximum compression. The slightest movement beyond this point will permit the springs to act on the rocking.

piece f with a tendency to turn it in the same direction that it is already being turned by; the arm (1 and pin c, and they will promptly throw the said rocking piece around, in which movement the pin 6 will act against the between the contacts is and k to cause the switch to open the circuit wholly in shifting from one to the other position.

From the foregoing it will be understood that if the current continued to flow after the switch was shifted the movement of the motor would be reversed and it would immediately turn the gate in the opposite direction. In order to prevent such operation, an additional circuit-closer is employed, one member an of which is the core of an electro-magnet n, and the other member an of which acts as the armaturefor said magnet, the coils of which are included in the motor-circuit, so that the magnet remains energized and holds the motorcircuit closed at m m until the motor-circuit is broken by the throwing of the switch-arm h, as before described, which breaking of the motor-circuit demagnetizes the magnet 02 and permits the circuit-closer m m to open and thus stop the operation of the motor. The said circuit-closerm m is closed in order to set the motor in operation by energizing the magnet 01 by an independent circuit, which may, however, be traversed by the current of the same generator or battery as that which operates the motor, and subsequently retains the magnet n energized. This arrangei'nent is best shown in Fig. 3, which illustrates the circuit-connections by which the apparatus may be operated.

The terminals of the motor are connected, as shown at 2 3, with the insulated contacts M of the reversing-switch. The stationary contact of said switch is connected by wire 4 with the member m of the circuitcloser, the member on of which is connected by wire 5 with one terminal of themagnet n, the other terminal of which is connected by wire (3 with one terminal of the battery or generator G, that. produces the current by which the apparatus is operated. The otherterminalof said generator G is connected by wires 7 with the stationary contacts 75 of the reversing-switch. Thus when the circuit-closer m m is closed the magnet n is energized, and the motor is operated in the circuit 2 4: 5 6 7 3, if the switch be in one position,or2 7 6 5 4t 3, ii'the switch be in the other position, so that if the current produced by the generator G is al- Ways in one direction it will pass through motor M in one or the other direction, according to the position of the switch. The breaking of either of these circuits demagnetizes the magnet 01, which permits the circuitcloser m m to open.

The circuit-closer 09?, m as herein shown, is closed by means of branch wires 8 and 9, extending to a eircuit-closer p, which may be operated by an approaching train at any required distance from the gate. The closing of the circuit at p energizes the magnet n through circuit 8 5 6 7 9, so that the said magnet attracts its armature 97?, closing the circuit-closer m m ,-and keeps the motor in circuit until the said circuit is broken by the shifting of the switch h, as before described. The momentary closure of the circuit-closer 19 thus sets the motor in operation, and it continues to run until the gate has been moved from its open to its closed position, at the end of which movement the shifting-piece f will just pass the dead-center position with relation to the springs g, and will be thrown to its reverse position, and in so doing open the circuit, and also reverse the connection of the motor with the circuit. Another closure of the circuit-closer m m will then cause the motor to operate until the gate has been moved in the reverse direction. Such second operation of the circuit-closer may be effected by again energizing the magnet '11 by another branch circuit 10 11, containing a circuiticloser 19 similar to the one 19, but located near the gate, so that the train on arriving at the gate will, by closing the circuit-closer p energize the magnet 01 in the circuit 10 5 (3 7 11, thus causing the reverse operation of the motor.

A convenient form of circuit-closer 19 may be made by employing two contact wires stretched above the track, so that they may be connected by a contact-piece p carried by the locomotive and under charge of the engineer.

By using two or more circuit-closers p at di'lferent distances from the crossing, or by using one of considerable length, the gate may be operated when the train is at a greater or less distance, as is required for varying speed of the trains.

The circuit-closer may be merely a handoperated key to enable the gate to be 'controlled from a distant point by an operator, in which case the same key or circuit-closer may be employed both to cause the gate to open and close.

If desired, the circuit-closing device 13 carried by the train, may connect the members of the circuit-closer 19 through a local circuit in the cab, containing an alarm or other indicating instrument Y, that will indicate whether or not the circuit is properly closed and in working condition.

The shaft to, operated by the motor or any other shaft carried by the train of wheel-work operated by the motor-armature, may be connected with the gate in any suitable manner, according to the way in which the gate operates, and the gate-operating apparatus can be readily applied to any hand-operated gate already in existence.

"We claim 1. The combination, with a railway-crossin g gate, of an electromotor connected with said gate and a pole-reversing switch controlling the connection of the motor with the currentsupplying circuit, and being operated bysaid motor at the end of the movement by which the gate is either opened or closed, wherebya current of constant direction in the supplying-circuit will actuate the motor first in one and then in the opposite direction to open and close the gate, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a railway-crossing gate, of the electromotor connected with said gate and the pole-reversing switch operated by the said motor, and a circuit-closer in circuit with said motor and switch, and actuating-magnet therefor, the coils of which are included in the said circuit, the said circuit- .with the said motor and switch, and actuat ing electro-m agnet therefor, the coils of which are included in the same circuit, the said circuit-closer being retained in closed condition while the said magnet is energized, and an independent circuit including the coils of said magnet and the generator of electricity, and circuit-closer therein, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a railway-crossing gate, of the electromotor connected with said gate and train of wheel-work operatedby the said motor, and the segment d, operated by the said wheel-work, the spring-im pelled shifting-piece operated by said segment, and the reversing switch operated by said springimpelled shifting-piece, whereby the connection of the said motor with the external circuit is reversed at the end of a definite amount of movement of the motor in one direction, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EVERETT T. NEALEY. M. H. RIDEOUT. "Witnesses:

B. O. ADDITON, H. O. BEAN. 

